Joe Hindy / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The third beta of Android 12L is now available for Pixel smartphones from the Pixel 3a and newer.
- For the first time, the beta is accessible by the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
- Outside of support for the newest Pixels, this release is all about bug-squashing.
Today, Google is rolling out the third beta of its large-display version of Android 12, known as Android 12L. Up until now, you’ve been able to use 12L on all Pixel phones launched after and including the Pixel 3a. However, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have been curiously unsupported over the past two betas.
See also: A complete history of Android
That changes today. For the third beta, you can install it on your Pixel 6 series device. It’s a beta program designed for larger screens, so it won’t be of any benefit if you’re not a developer. However, if you’re curious you can now give it a shot. Google has instructions for how to do so here.
Other than support for Pixel 6 phones, the third beta of Android 12L is mostly about squashing bugs. Google lists the three top resolved issues as the following:
- The At-A-Glance widget not showing weather information
- Screen-off animation inconsistencies
- Crashes when using split-screen mode
Android 12L beta 3 has a build number of S2B3.220205.007.A1. If you don’t want to use it on (or don’t have) a Pixel phone, it’s also available as emulator images for 64-bit x86 and ARM v8-A systems.
Unfortunately, we still have no confirmation on which devices will eventually get the stable version of Android 12L. If we had to guess, though, we’d think Samsung’s new slate of tablets would be in for it.
